Installing an electrical system in a residential or commercial setting can be a complex and costly procedure which involves installing junction boxes, plugs, switches and light fixtures, and running cable (e.g., ROMEX cable) from a main breaker panel to each junction box. Oftentimes, the locations of the plugs, switches and light fixtures are first determined, and appropriate junction boxes are nailed or otherwise affixed to studs at appropriate locations. Holes are drilled through the studs, and one or more cables are run from the breaker panel through the drilled holes and into each junction box. At this point the cable is not receiving power, and the one or more cables are rolled up and manually tucked inside each junction box until drywall is installed, taped, floated, and painting has been completed, so that such activities do not damage the electrical plugs, switches, or other fixtures. Thereafter, the one or more cables are unrolled, trimmed, and an end portion of an outer sheath of each of the cables is removed, exposing a plurality of insulated conductors. Each of the plurality of insulated conductors may then have the insulation stripped from an end portion, and the exposed conductor can then be coupled to a screw located on a plug, switch or other fixture, or the exposed conductor can be coupled to another exposed conductor (e.g., from a different cable that has been run to the same junction box) for example, by way of a screw-on electrical twist-on wire connector. The one or more cables and associated connectors are then pushed back into the junction box. Thereafter, the plugs, switches, lights/light fixtures are installed and properly connected, and power is provided to the system.
Such a method of installing an electrical system provides ample opportunity for human error. Moreover, it is quite time-consuming to run cable throughout the structure, remove the outer sheath, strip the insulation off the conductors, and connect individual conductors to plugs, switches, other fixtures, or to other conductors by wrapping individual conductors around screws or by using a connector such as a screw-on electrical twist-on wire connector. All of the cable, conductors, and connectors within a junction box thus create an overflow that is dangerous and complex. Current wiring methods are thus unreliable in that rework may need to be performed to correct mistakes made during the wiring process. Furthermore, current wiring methods are unsafe in that there is not adequate protection against crossed wires, short circuits, wire breakage, or other potential hazards. The multitude of wires that are involved and the number of connections that are made calls for a skilled electrician; however, given the complexity of the system and the limitations of current wiring methods, even a skilled electrician may improperly wire, or be forced to rewire, portions of the electrical system.
In addition, the current method of installing an electrical system calls for installing the plugs, switches, and fixtures after the drywall installation is complete. Thus, if there is a short circuit in the cable running behind the drywall, if there is a broken wire, if there is a circuit failure, or if there is any other electrical problem, such a problem will not be discovered until the power is applied after the drywall has been installed, and repairing the problem is going to call for an expensive tear out and rework of the drywall. In some cases, temporary power is needed to advance construction of a structure (e.g., for work lamps, power tools, or other construction equipment). However, since existing wiring methods do not allow for electrical circuits to be utilized until drywall is installed and painting is completed, and after an electrician has properly connected all circuitry and switches, plugs, and lights/light fixtures, temporary power is often provided to a worksite in a haphazard way using improvised circuitry which can lead to accidents or close calls.